Barton Farm

Today, we went for  quite a long  walk around part of the  Winchester city boundary. First, we walked from home to Sarum Road, across Royal  Winchester Golf Course  to Weeke, then via footpaths across Harestock to the edge of the  new housing development at Barton Farm, and  from there all the way around the  newish Barton  Meadows nature reserve. The  nature reserve, formerly  arable  farmland, is a huge,  lovely, wildflower  meadow  full of Ox Eye Daisies. It is fenced, to keep people  and dogs out, and to keep a small herd of cattle in, and to protect breeding skylarks.      
Then it was but a short hop to the  care home, so we popped in to see my  Mum, and very conveniently timed  our visit as afternoon tea and cake  were being served!  Refreshed, we left her to the quiz which was about  to begin, and continued our walk into town by the river. We caught a bus back and arrived home just  before  a rain shower began. 
I think we must have walked about seven miles. Next Sunday we are doing a fifteen  mile walk in London, so this was a good training  walk!